About the picture: taken in Portugal. I chose this because it has everyone that I was close with from the beginning except for Lisa, who wasn’t on the trip. Alex was my Finland friend interning at We Love Spain who showed me the nightlife of Sevilla. We had so much fun those first couple months. Sarah and Tara were the first Americans I met (with Sarah being my roomie and Tara being her best friend who lived a few floors down from us). Caitlin is my Australian friend who was always smiling and having a good time. Melissa, Sam, and Reuben became some of my closest friends here. Such a great group of people.
Wow. My official last day in Spain. It’s crazy to grasp that. Last night I ended up pulling an all nighter studying for my exam, and I think it paid off. He put two definitions and one short answer on there that weren’t on any of the guides so that threw me off but overall I did just fine. My eyes were very bloodshot and when I got home I took a 2 hour nap to tide me over. Then I went and met Kevin for lunch and did some souvenir shopping afterwards. At 8:30 our school had organized a farewell reception at a restaurant downtown. I wasn’t planning on going because part of me really wanted to avoid saying goodbye but I knew I wanted to see all my friends one more time. So I went there and ended up staying much later than usual. I was hoping to be home early-ish so I could shower, finish packing, write this, and sleep since I’m still tired from the all nighter. Butttt, I stayed talking with people for quite a while. It’s almost 2am here and I have to be up b 8:30 so hopefully this doesn’t take too awful long to write. Although I can sleep on the airplane too.
When saying goodbye to the first few people it didn’t really feel real. I really didn’t feel like I was going to be leaving anytime soon. I’ve gotten so accustomed to my routine here. But then I had to say goodbye to Melissa & Lisa.. that’s when it hit me that I really am leaving tmw. That yes, I plan on seeing these people again somehow, but that life was changing and I wasn’t going to be spending my weekends with them or riding the bus to school together anymore. Then came the waterworks, lol. It was hardest to say goodbye to Melissa, Lisa, Sam, and Reuben. I’ve become quite close with them, especially the girls. Those girls know so much about me and I really love them. But, I am so thankful for this trip because I was able to meet all these great new people.
Things I will miss about Spain: being surrounded by the Spanish language. Siestas. The wonderful friends I have made. The olives (weird but restaurants have delicious olives!). Tapas. All the sights, landmarks, and the scenery. Don Diego. The nightlife. FREE TIME. Easier class schedule. The coffee. My Monday Wednesday routine with Michelle & Charity. We Love Spain. Beaches. Delicious fajitas that Pepi makes. Pepi & Tana (although not when Tana is a pain in the butt). Being able to walk everywhere. My feather comforter. The blinds that make a room completely black during the middle of the day (perfect for siestas!). The plethora of brown haired and brown eyed men (hahaaa). And so much more.
Things I will not miss about Spain: some of the foods (I miss pierogies and Portillo’s!). Pepi trying to make us eat more all the time or nagging at us to wear slippers, etc. Luna, the neighbor’s crazy dog. Actually, the neighbor too. Incredibly persistent Spanish men who won’t take a hint. The intense heat of the summer. Not having heating or cooling. Not being able to text to keep in touch with you all. Not working and earning money. Having communication problems. The excessive loudness of Spaniards in the study halls. Having to go to school to print things. Missing all of you!!
Well, I’m sure there are things that I’ve missed in both these lists but I don’t want to waste sleep time by pondering forever. Overall this trip has been an absolutely amazing experience that is hard to put into words. It has taught me so much not only in academics, but also in who I am as a person and what I want out of life. Although it was hard missing you all (especially Mel & Charlotte!) and dealing with money issues, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. The things I’ve seen these past four months have been amazing. I can now say I’ve been to Spain, Portugal, and Africa! It’s just really has been an awesome experience and I am so grateful for everyone who helped make this possible. <3
In the morning Kevin is coming over and we’re taking a taxi to the airport. I’m so thankful that he will be there to not only help me with my bags but to help me check-in and say goodbye to Sevilla. The drive to the airport will be hard because I can remember clearly what it looked like the day I arrived here. It will be sad to say goodbye to it all. It will be especially sad to say goodbye to Kevin. I’ve spent a lot of time with him and he has been there for me in SO many ways during my stay here. He’s not only helped improve my Spanish but he’s also taught me some French while I helped him with his English. He truly is a wonderful person and I am so thankful that I met him. I know that we will be friends for life and will be seeing each other again someday. =]
I should try to get some sleep though since it’s 2:30am. It’s weird thinking this is my last tumblr post. Next thing you know I’ll be home! Can’t wait to see everyone. Love & miss you all. <3
I’m not going to write much because I really need to study for my exam that’s tmw morning at 9. I really didn’t do anything today other than work on my guides and study. I did go out to dinner with Pepi & Sarah at a nearby restaurant. It was nice to sit and relax with them. =]
But, off to study well into the night! We’ll see how much sleep I get tonight. =p One more day til I fly; two more days until Michigan! Love & miss you all.
I did awesome on my final todayyyyy! WOOOOO! =] So happy about that. Now I just have to make it through my last final on Friday morning and I’m done. Stinks that this will be my hardest final though. But at least I have tonight and tmw to study for it. However, not sure I’ll do a ton of studying tonight. I should try though because if I stay up until 6am like I did last night, then chances are that I’ll sleep in tmw and won’t have as much time to study. Plus, Pepi, Sarah, and I are going to dinner together tmw evening. =]
After my final today I came home and crawled right into bed to take a nap. Ended up sleeping through my alarm but luckily my roommate came home and it woke me up because I was meeting with Melissa & Lisa for dinner tonight. We went to good ‘ol McDonald’s. Haha. =] It was delicious though and I ate wayyy too much. Oh well. It was nice to spend time with them again; I hadn’t seen Lisa in FOREVER! But the sad part is that I had to say goodbye to her. That was the last time I’ll see her before I leave. Really, I won’t be seeing many people before I leave because tmw I’ll spend the day studying. Friday is my final, then packing, and having one last dinner with Kevin. Then leaving Saturday morning. Honestly, I don’t want to say goodbyes. I mean I want to come home, but I will miss all the great people that I met along the way. I’ve gotten so accustomed to my routine here and being with the same people.
Anyways, I’m going to maybe study a bit or at least organize all my notes so I’m ready to tackle it tmw. Only 3 more days until I’m in Michigan! Love & miss you all. <3
Well, I’m not going to write too much because frankly I need to study some more and I’d like to watch a movie before going to bed. However, the exam today was pretty rough. I mean I don’t think I completely failed or anything, but I definitely had some brain farts and totally blanked out. Ah well, there’s nothing I can do now but hope for the best and focus on my last two. I have one tmw at 12. It consists of writing a 4 page paper on one of two topics. He gave us a list of 5 topics originally and will be picking two from those that we can chose from. I think I’ll be okay. I don’t think I can fail this one based on how many times we went over things in class, etc. But I’m definitely going to review the information and all. I’m hoping he puts “Ideological & Moral Evolution of Spain from 1936-present” on there because I feel that that one would be the easiest to write 4 full pages on. There’s an incredibly high chance he’ll put one of the last two topics on there and I guess if I really want to be prepared I could write a 4-page essay now for each. But does that sound like any fun? Lol. I think instead I shall make detailed outlines for them and study those. Also, I’ll have time to study tmw since the final isn’t until 12. Although knowing me I might be up until 5am again. =p
Anyways, off to make some outlines and study a bit. Then hopefully squeezing a movie in tonight. 4 more days! Love & miss you all. <3
Wow. Over 100 days abroad. Crazy to think of it. I’m sort of in an odd mood right now and don’t feel like posting much. Plus, I should be studying for my final that’s tmw anyways. I had one final today which was my presentation. Waking up wasn’t too fun seeing as I couldn’t fall asleep until after 4am. However, I think I will keep up my weird sleeping schedule for the week so that when I’m home my it’ll be easier to adjust. And frankly, I like being up late and getting to talk with friends and all. My presentation went good though, I went first. I just wanted to get it over with really. Then I came home and took a 4 hour nap; lovely. Studied for like 20 minutes. Studying just really isn’t my thing. I know I need to make better study habits but I don’t think I’m going to fail this exam. I know I know enough to do decently well on it. It’s just a matter of reviewing really. Plus I’ll have time in the morning to study a bit because I’m usually always at school early since the bus is so unpredictable. So, I’ll be alright. I just have to take the exams one day at a time instead of stressing about them all. Film will be the worst by far. Also today I made some brownies. My roomie got a box of brownies in her care package and since she has lots of papers to write and things to study, I decided I’d make them for her. And the turned out pretty good. =]
But, I’m off to procrastinate a bit. It’s only 9:30 and seeing as I won’t sleep until 4 or later, I have plenty of time to do a little reviewing. 5 more days! Love & miss you all. <3
Well. I didn’t post yesterday because I went out with friends. So, Saturday was uneventful. Watched a movie and practiced my presentation a tiny bit before showering and getting ready. Then Kevin and I went and ate tapas. They were the best I’ve had; so delicious. I love the olives here. Anyways, then we went and met with Melissa, Sam, Zita, and everyone else for the night and we all went out dancing. There were some rough patches in the night, like Melissa losing her coat ticket and we had to wait until they closed to get it. But other than that and a few other things, it was a good night. Today I obviously slept in seeing as I didn’t get home until 7:30am. Lol. Then I practiced my presentation a few times. I really should’ve practiced more but I don’t really care. I think it’ll go fine. The teacher is really nice and I don’t think I could fail now if I tried. So I should be fine. (Let’s hope so!) I watched the movie ‘Water for Elephants’ which was really good. It kind of stinks because lately I’ve been staying up later each night. Now my body is accustomed to going to bed at 6 or later. However, I probably won’t have much jet lag if I keep this up! 6am here is 12am in Michigan which is the normal time I’d go to bed. That’s the bright side of it as Karli pointed out to me. Haha.
Anyways, I guess I’m gona kill some time on tumblr, fb, etc before triyng to go to bed. I have to be up at 7:30 to get ready and head to school for my presentation. Who knows, I might not sleep at all. We’ll see. I should spend that time practicing but everyone’s asleep so I can’t practice reading my speech without severly annoying my roommate and host mom. Lol. Ah well, I’ll be boarding a plane in 5 days. Love & miss you all. <3
Well. Last night I ended up not falling asleep until after 4am. So needless to say I slept in. Lol. But I didn’t do too much today. Wrote a paper for my study abroad class, scholarship applications, and organized my class schedule for the next two years. SO. I’m not graduating on time, obviously. I knew that before and that used to make me feel stupid.. but you know what I realized? I will be graduating with a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Biochemistry. And I studied abroad in Spain! So who cares if I graduate late. I will work hard and stay focused. I will do good on the MCAT and I will make it into medical school. I will become a doctor. No matter how long it takes, I’m going to achieve that. I’m very determined. I’m not sure where this all came from. If you asked me yesterday if I would be a doctor I would say yes but would also say that I don’t think I’m smart enough for med school, etc. But I guess after planning all my classes and seeing the light at the end of the NCC tunnel (although it’s far away), I just realized that I can do this if I set my mind to it. And I truly want to be a doctor. I would love to be a Pediatrician and work with children all day. I LOVE children and honestly can’t see myself not working with them. So anyways, that’s that. It feels good to believe in myself.
Now I’m going to work on some scholarship applications and maybe watch a movie to relax a bit. I’ll be leaving in 8 days! Love & miss you all. <3
Well today was a lovely, but tiring from walking around Cadiz all day. Last night was rough because I didn’t fall asleep until 4am.. and had to wake up at 6:30. HA. My phone rang and I answered and it was Kevin. I told him that I was annoyed because I just hit the snooze and had five more minutes to sleep and he was interrupting. He proceeded to tell me that it was 7:30 (I was supposed to leave my house around 7:15 to meet him at his so we could take a taxi to the train station). I said “nooooo. I want to cry.” But it worked out okay. I only needed 15 minutes to get ready since I had showered the night before and he decided to take a taxi to me and then we’d take the same taxi to the station. The taxi driver wasn’t very pleasant though and didn’t even want to go to my neck of the woods (I live in the most ghetto part of Sevilla) and so he drove off when Kevin got out. BAD NEWS: Kevin’s camera (which was expensive) slipped out of his pocket when he was getting his money and he didn’t notice. So the taxi driver drove away with it. =[ He tried calling the station to see if they found it but I don’t know if he’s going to have any luck. =[ I felt horrible because if I would have been on time, he wouldn’t have had to take that taxi. Ugh. But we decided to just enjoy the day as much as possible. Cadiz was beautiful. The cathedral (pictured above) was just stunning. I loved it. And the city and beach was gorgeous too. It wasn’t too cold of a day and the sun was shining so that was nice. So we walked around, took pictures, ate, etc. We were ready to leave but looked at the time and realized we still had like 4 hours until our train left. HA. So we just sat around, so tired. My feet were killlinggg. But overall, a great day.
But I’m supposed to be skyping with Khloe tonight so hopefully she gets on soon! Hope everything is going great back in the States. Only 9 more days! Love & miss you all. <3
Hellooooo! I’m in a jolly good mood right now. Today was good. I slept in late (which I really need to stop doing). Then I showered, got ready, and met Kevin downtown. We went to TGI Friday’s and ate. YUM. It wasn’t as good as it is in the States, but it was better than nothing! I had a BBQ beef sandwich which was so delicious. Then afterwards we went and bought the train tickets to Cadiz for tmw! So that’s something to look forward to too. I have to wake up early tmw, which is good because it’ll break my weird sleeping schedule. I may need a coffee in the morning, lol. After buying the tickets we went and walked around the centro. It was fun. Sevilla has lights all over for Christmas and I took a few pictures with my iphone. Then we decided to stop at Starbucks. It was my first Starbucks since leaving the States. I was SO HAPPY. Not just because I had a delicious latte, but because it was decorated for Christmas and they were playing American Christmas music. If I didn’t know better I would’ve thought I was back home. It made me nostalgic but yet put me in such a good mood because I know there’s not much time left and I’ll be back home. It was a nice change.
I think time is going to start going by crazy fast. Tomorrow is Cadiz all day so that’ll go by fast. Then the weekend I need to start studying for finals. And I’ll probably go out on the town a few last times since it’ll be my last weekend here. MY LAST WEEKEND. It’s so weird to say that. I’m just going to enjoy Espana as much as possible before I have to say goodbye. It’ll be very bittersweet.
But I should go shower and such so I don’t have to do it in the morning. Hopefully tonight I can fall asleep before 3am since I have to be up around 6:30. HAHA. Love & miss you all! <3
Hi. I’m sorry I’ve been such a terrible updater lately. Things are just incredibly slow with no school and all. And I currently have a headache that has been pounding for a good couple hours so I’m not feeling the greatest. I have done some scholarship research and figured out when all the due dates are, etc. So that’s one productive thing! I might start practicing my presentation and reviewing a smidge in the next few days. Still haven’t figured out which day I’m going to Cadiz but I’m excited for that.
On a side note, my space bar literally just came unstuck! Woo. I know, I’m really giving you guys exciting updates here about my space bar. I love relaxing and watching movies and all, but I think I’m starting to lose my mind. I’m not a fan of being alone in a quiet house all the time. I can’t wait to get back and have the chaos. Although I’m sure after a while I’ll be missing these long boring days. Lol.
Also, I had a dream last night that I got a tattoo for Mark. Here I’ve been trying to think of the perfect thing to get and in my dream the tattoo was perfect. Funny how that works out. So I have some plans for once I’m back in Illinois.
Anyways, I think it’s time to try to sleep this headache off. Hope you all are having more exciting days than I am! Love & miss you all. <3
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